Petal, Again
by Sergeant Wellington
Summary: Rose left to train in Sweden and has returned several years later to find everything different, including her family and friends. But has everything really changed? Will she and Scorpius finish what they very nearly started all those years before? Will Scorpius let Rose back into his life or will he leave 'Petal' in the past? (I'm awful at summaries!) RW/SM
1. I

A/N: Wanted to do another Rose/Scorpius story because they are fun characters and I like doing them. THIS IS NOT BASED ON HP&CC which I have not read nor seen and probably will never do. But I do like that Hermione isn't necessarily white so I've gone with that.

I'm terrible at naming stories, so…sorry in advance!

I don't own anything.

Please review!

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"Rose is coming back."

Albus had said it so offhandedly, with no fanfare, that Scorpius had barely even registered that his best mate was speaking of anything besides Quidditch.

"You hear me?"

"Something about Duncan wanting to meet for drinks after the match?" Scorpius was flipping through the Muggle paper he had snatched up earlier that morning.

Albus put his hand over the paper so Scorpius was forced to look up. "Rose is coming back," he said clearly, his bright green eyes watching Scorpius' face intently.

"It's no where near the holidays," Scorpius replied.

"No, moving back, I mean. Took a job at St. Mungo's."

Scorpius wanted to squirm under Albus' intense gaze, but pressed his feet firmly to the ground to resist. "You must be pleased," Scorpius smiled, "you've missed her."

"I have," Albus agreed, "will be nice to have her around again." Albus hesitated, "Are you pleased?"

Scorpius arched a dark blonde eyebrow, "I don't hate her, Albus. I never have."

Albus watched him for a moment but felt like ages to Scorpius. "I never said you hated her, mate." Albus waited, expecting Scorpius to argue and when he didn't, he continued, "I expect Grandmum will throw a luncheon since the weather's nice. James and Fred were talking about a round when she's settled in."

Scorpius hummed in agreement as he turned his attention back to his Muggle paper.

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 _Hogwarts, Sixth Year_

"All right, Weasley?"

She didn't look up, "Better to use my first name, Malfoy. There's so many Weasleys it's hard to tell to whom you're speaking."

He sat down next to her with a grin, "You're the only Weasley I take Charms with, aren't you?"

Rose breathed through her nose, "Still prefer my –"

"I know you do, Petal, but it's so fun to see you riled up," his smile grew as he watched her reading a pamphlet. She grimaced when he called her 'petal'. "What ya reading?"

"St. Mungo's pamphlet about Healing," she said with a slight shrug.

"Definitely leaning towards Healing then, are we?" He arched an eyebrow.

"Think so," she looked over at him, her blue eyes a shade lighter in the light of the classroom, her freckles noticeable against her golden-brown skin. "Want to help people, of course," she seemed to be taking to herself more so than to him. "Hard to start on my own at the Ministry with mum," she drifted off. "Well, I'd like to do my own thing."

Scorpius watched her for a moment, "Very noble." He understood what she meant. It would be hard to be her own person at the Ministry when her mum was the new Minister of Magic.

"What about you?"

He opened his mouth in genuine surprise that she was asking, "Oh, I –"

She rolled her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips, "Don't act so surprised, Malfoy. You're my favorite cousin's best mate, aren't you?"

"I just didn't think you'd be actually interested –"

She very nearly snorted, "I'm not a monster. But I am losing interest –"

"Quidditch at first, if I can, while I'm still young and able," he shrugged. "Always need new Beaters. And then maybe something in the Ministry, not in dad's department, maybe an Auror."

Rose nodded, "Both of us picking something our parents don't do."

He smiled, "How predictable of us."

The rest of their class had sat down by now and Scorpius took a deep breath, ready to throw caution to the wind – she was being pleasant, wasn't she? – and ask her to Hogsmeade when her friend Tilly sat next to her, pulled on Rose's long braid, and started chattering on about something almost immediately. Scorpius turned away and swallowed his question. There was always tomorrow.

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"How's your bird, kid?"

Scorpius stared openly at the man, "What bird, Bruce? I don't have a bird," he frowned, "a lady, I mean. I don't have a girlfriend or –"

"What about that redhead you were chatting with?" Bruce's deep voice was gruff with age.

"Lily Potter, you mean?" Scorpius laughed as Bruce's dark eyes widened.

"Blimey, you're seeing the Head Auror's daughter?"

The Head Auror himself popped his head into the room, "Meeting in five, couple emergencies it seems."

"Not seeing her, no. She's my best mate's sister and a good friend," Scorpius bit back a grin, "you might want to retire soon, Bruce, you're observations are –"

Bruce waved a hand as he stood up, "Point is, you need a bird, don't you?"

Walter, another Auror who was only a few years older than Socrpius, was Scorpius' partner and best work mate, clapped him on the shoulder, "I've been telling him that for ages, Bruce. Needs to find a nice girl – or boy –"

"Girl," Scorpius assured him, "although I was flattered your mate was interested."

Bruce's brows were furrowed and he frowned, "I don't bloody understand you young people."

They walked out of the office into the large conference room, "That's why you're the best teacher, Brucie," Walter winked at the older man.

"All right," Harry started, loosening his Muggle tie slightly and Scorpius was surprised to see it wasn't in Gryffindor colors that he usually favored. "Multiple reports of some sort of shenanigans at a farm in the Highlands, unrelated to last week's," he sighed, "I want a team up there to investigate. I want to know what exactly is going on. Malfoy, MacDonald, pick a team, I want you up there within the hour. Banner and Wallis, I want you over at Hogsmeade, there's been a break-in. If it was students, let me know and I'll meet with the Headmistress," he looked around the room. "Magical dispute outside of Surrey. Ferguson and Lowry, bring a recruit or two in case." He looked at his assistant, "Was there another?"

The elderly witch pushed her glasses further up her nose as she read from a parchment, "Doesn't seem to be, sir."

"Good, dismissed. Malfoy, MacDonald, let me know what team you've assembled before you leave."

"Yessir," Malfoy nodded and turned to Walter. "Catriona, obviously. And Fiona."

"Gregson," Walter nodded, "and Timmy."

"Make sure they bring their Wellies, it's going to be muddy."

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Scorpius had spent nearly 10 hours in the mud and rain of the Highlands of Scotland. Talking to farmers who didn't want to talk, scouring the woods for Merlin-knows-what, and trying to cajole the mutterings of an elderly, blind witch and her squib of a son who only spoke the Gaelic.

And they'd be going back the next day as well. Walter and Catriona had kindly turned down his offer of a pint, but he walked to a small Muggle pub anyway. Before he left the Ministry's Atrium, however, he heard someone calling his name. "No, no, Thomasin, I don't have a story for you –"

"But your in jeans and Wellies," the dark blonde witch laughed, "how is your strange fashion choice not a story?" He continued walking but Thomasin kept up. "Come on, dearie."

"It's late, I'm tired, you know I can't talk to the press, love." He turned to her with a small frown, "You're my favorite reporter, but –"

She frowned, her amber eyes watching him carefully, "You're no bloody fun."

He let out a genuine laugh, "Oh, Thomasin, I do miss you and your blunt way of talking." He patted her on top of the head, knowing it would infuriate her, "You know I'd go to you first if I ever had a story."

"You bloody better," she tried to grab his hand to stop him patting her again. He turned to go, continuing towards the door. "Rose's back," she called after him, "how are you feeling?"

"Writing a story on her return, are we?" He turned and waved at her with a smile before finally leaving the Ministry.

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With a sigh, he pushed open the door to the Muggle pub and nodded at the bartender who asked, "Pint of lager?"

"I come here that often?" Scorpius smiled at the man as he took his glass.

"Often enough and you always order the same thing," the older man shrugged. "Not many lads with hair like yours either."

Scorpius' hand went to his head automatically, "Aye, suppose you're right." He handed the bartender some Muggle cash, "Thanks, mate." He went and sat at a small table near one of the very few lights and pulled out of the Muggle paper, skimming for any reports of weird goings on in the Highlands. He had long finished his pint, engrossed in the paper, when someone took away his empty glass and replaced it with a fresh one, "Oh, I don't want," he looked up and there she was, smiling down at him.

"Was rather surprised to see you here too," she said and gestured to the chair across from him. "May I?"

His mouth was suddenly dry and he was acutely aware that he was gawking at her. All he could manage was a nod.

"It's just as I remember. This place, I mean. Exactly the same," her steel blue eyes wandered around the small bar before landing back on him. "You've changed," she said simply.

That brought him out of his stupor, "For the better, I hope." He arched an eyebrow, his slate grey eyes scanning her face, her freckles invisible in the dim light of the pub. Her hair, pulled back into an intricate knot low on her head, looked dark brown and Scorpius wondered briefly if it still looked red in certain lights. "When'd you get in?"

"The other night," she sipped her lager, "start tomorrow."

He noticed the thin bright red jumper she was wearing, "Why come to the pub then, this pub, no less?"

She took another sip and Scorpius knew she was trying to find the right words. "Nerves, I guess."

"Didn't want to run into anyone," Scorpius stated, "I presume, of course."

"You know what they say," she said lightly. "I'm surprised you still come here."

He watched her closely, "It's nice to go somewhere no one else knows about sometimes."

She swallowed but her eyes were laser focused on him. "That was a long time ago, Malfoy."

He leaned back in his chair, "A different time," he agreed, hoping his voice sounded light. "Have you seen Albus yet? Or Thomasin? Just ran into her, actually."

"Oh, did you?" Scorpius' lips twitched at how irritated her voice sounded.

"Yea, hounding me for a story, mentioned you were back," he replied casually.

"No, I've only seen mum, dad, and Hugo so far," she managed a smile, "reckon Grandmum will have a party for the family soon."

Scorpius stared at his pin glass for a moment before taking a long drink, "What brought you back?"

"A position –"

"I'm sure you've had plenty of offers from St. Mungo's over the years –"

"The _right_ position," she corrected, rather crossly. "My training in Sweden was complete and I missed my family."

Scorpius nodded and took another drink, "What's the position?"

"Well," her steel blue eyes lit up, "I'll actually work across all the floors."

His eyes widened, "What?"

"I'll have patients who are there for spell damage, or Muggle reasons, or bugs and other creatures," she was talking quickly as she did when she was excited. "And I'll be the junior Potions master."

"Bloody hell, Petal," he muttered before he knew what he was saying. Rose froze and stared at him, her eyes widening. "I mean, are they," he coughed, "are they grooming you to be the Healer-in-Charge?"

She blinked and Scorpius hoped she would ignore his "petal" slip up. "Maybe. Trying not to think about it, actually. Long way off."

Scorpius looked at his Muggle watch, "I need to get home. I have a long day tomorrow," he met her eyes, "and so do you." He stood up, "Come on, I'll show you where you can Apparate."

She drained her glass and stood, only a few inches shorter than him in her boots. "I remember –"

"I will see you out, Weasley," he said firmly.

Scorpius breathed in the crisp London night air and watched Rose look around the street, her golden-brown skin reflecting the blue of the pub's neon beer sign. "I missed London," she turned to him and smiled.

"Won't you miss Stockholm?"

"Oh, sure. Already do," her smile faltered slightly. "It really was lovely and wonderful, but," she shrugged, "there's just something about Britain."

He smiled at her and gestured for her to walk with him, "Everyone's glad you're back, Rose."

They reached the alleyway.

"Are you?"

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A/N: I started this off as a one-and-doner, but I just kept writing and I have a bit more and I'm not even at the finale bit I want so….going to be a quite a few chapters, I think! This one was awful short because I wanted to get it out!

There will be some flashbacks and those will have the 'time' on them…

I got the 'Petal' nickname because I just watched seasons 1 and 2 of Broadchurch and my goodness….HEAVY. Hit me hard. But was bloody wonderful.

Please review! More cousins and friends next chapter!


	2. II

A/N: Please review!

I'm terrible at naming stories, so…sorry in advance!

I don't own anything.

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Scorpius was thankful for the distraction and the mess of the Scottish Highlands, that next day. He had thought he'd done rather well when he had seen Rose unexpectedly, but it was still disconcerting that she could affect him like that after so many years. He told himself it was only because he hadn't expected her to show up at _his_ bar.

He hoped she didn't tell anyone about it. He rather liked having a place where he wouldn't run into someone he knew.

"It is rather pretty out here," Catriona said softly to him as they walked quietly through the old growth forest, "peaceful and calm."

Scorpius looked up at the canopy, "Don't let Wally hear you say that, he's a city boy through and through. Are you from the country, Cait?"

She sighed, "Born in Cork, but when mum and dad split up she moved us to York with her aunt. Only been back a few times. I miss it. You, sir?"

"Enough with the sir," he struggled to not roll his eyes, "you know I bloody hate it, I'm not your senior."

"Why'd ya think I do it, sir?"

He nearly growled, "I frequented the Potter's home quite a bit during school," Scorpius shrugged. "As a boy dad took us to Dorset a lot, to the beach."

"Oh, how lovely," Catriona maneuvered around a mossy boulder, "I forgot you knew Auror Potter before."

Scorpius watched her from the corner of his eye as an idea hit him, "Best mates with Albus. Have you met him?"

"Knew him in passing at school, I was a year ahead of Lily."

"That's right, of course," Scorpius filed this information away so he could chat with Lily later. Albus broke up with his last girlfriend over a year ago and Lily and Scorpius were determined to find him someone.

"Do you think we'll ever find this, whatever the bloody hell it is, sir?"

Scorpius sighed, "I bloody well hope so –" he looked up to see sparks, "well looks like Wally's found something."

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"A baby dragon?" Harry rubbed his eyes before putting his glasses back on his head. "Won it in a pub, did he?"

Scorpius was surprised, "And subsequently lost it, yessir. They assured us they'd be sending it to Romania immediately. How did –"

"Hagrid," he chuckled, "my first year. Have Millie write to him, will you? Might be a ring we'll need to bust, as they say."

Scorpius nodded, "Would be a bloody old ring," he coughed, "not calling you old, sir."

Harry laughed, "Call your team in once they clean up. Reports all written?"

"Yessir," he stuck his head out the door, "team!"

Harry let out a sigh but didn't reprimand him. Scorpius was one of his best Aurors and could command his fellow Aurors, regardless of their rank. He had high hopes for the young man.

"Well done," Harry smiled at the team, "I know that was not an ideal mission, but I have a feeling might lead to a larger illegal magical creatures ring. The Minister will be pleased that there is no longer a rogue dragon in the Highlands." He nodded at Scorpius and Walter, "You two put together a good team. I'd like to see you lot work together on these sort of things more."

Walter grinned, "I'll speak for everyone, sir, if we could survive the bloody mud in the country, we'll work well together anywhere."

Fiona shoved Walter and Harry bit back a laugh. "All right, go to the pub, you deserve it. See you tomorrow."

They were leaving Harry's office when Lily came bounding in, her long, dark red hair in a high ponytail whipping behind her. "Hiya, pops," she grinned at her dad and slugged Scorpius on the arm, "hiya, Score."

"Hullo, Lils," Harry smiled, "nice to see you."

"Lils," Scorpius met her eyes and slowly brought them to Catriona, "you remember Catriona Bishop?"

Lily smiled widely, her brown eyes darting to Scorpius quickly, "Yes, of course, how are you? Catriona was a year ahead of me in Gryffindor, pops."

"So nice to see you, Lily. I follow you in Quidditch. Bloody well done."

"Oh, I like her," Lily laughed.

"We're going for drinks, Lils, been a long couple of days, you know," Scorpius arched an eyebrow slightly, "you should come –"

"Oh, yes, invite Albus, James, and the lads," Harry said, winking at Scorpius, "they need a night away from Quidditch players."

Lily bit back a laugh at the look on Scorpius' face, "Will do. Ceol's, right?" She smiled at Catriona, "See you there. Bye pops, see you for lunch tomorrow," she called as she walked out.

"Oh, bollocks –"

"Why I cam to remind you!" She winked at Scorpius.

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Scorpius handed Lily a pint after they had introduced Catriona and Albus, "I can't believe your dad could see through me."

She laughed, "He is the Head Auror."

"I know, but bloody still –"

"He's seen us talk without talking before, Score," she pressed her lips together to keep from smiling.

"Are you wearing lipstick?" Scorpius said in a rushed voice before looking around, "Are you trying to impress someone?"

She punched his arm, "Am I not allowed to wear make-up now?" She put her head in her free hand, "You're making it into such a big deal," she whined quietly.

Roxanne slung her arm around her taller cousin and best friend, "Finally got her to wear lipstick," Roxanne grinned at Scorpius, her own lips a dark purple, her dark brown eyes outlined in black. "Doesn't she look beautiful, Scorpie?"

He groaned, "I bloody hate when you call me that."

"Not sure why," she flashed an evil smile as she handed him her pint so she could put her dark brown twists into a hair tie. "Now, that Fiona girl –"

He shook his head, "Not sure, hasn't said, haven't asked."

Roxanne nodded, "Need to find out, don't we?" She turned to Lily, "How do I look?"

"Perfect as always," Lily shook her head and laughed.

She winked at them, "Wish me luck."

"Luck," Scorpius called after her and turned back to Lily. "Who are you trying to impress?"

Lily laughed, "Bloody relentless," she patted his arm. "No one, pet, don't be jealous," she batted her eyelashes playfully. "Looks like Albus and Catriona are getting on."

"Don't know why I didn't think of it before, truthfully," he sipped his pint, "she's a good sort."

"I remember her being very kind at school," Lily smiled, "not hotheaded."

"No, very levelheaded, even at work," he agreed. "Albus better bloody ask her on a proper date."

"Malfoy! Where's my story?" Scorpius grimaced, causing Lily to laugh before turning around.

"Not my story to tell, Thomasin, you know that. You'll have to contact the office –"

Thomasin frowned, "You're a disappointment, Malfoy."

"That's what we're always telling him," James and Fred were suddenly on either side of him.

Fred put a hand on Scorpius' shoulder. "It's a shame, really, that he hasn't realized yet –"

"So glad you're here to remind him –"

"Thomasin Carter," she smirked at the pair, "Daily Prophet."

"You look familiar," Fred started.

"But you don't report on Quidditch, so –"

"That's all we care about –"

"She's mates with Rose," Lily interjected, "and she's written about dad before."

James and Fred both clapped Scorpius on the chest causing him to wince slightly, "Of course –"

"Thomasin, of bloody course –"

"Can I buy you a drink?" Fred bowed slightly and Thomasin arched an eyebrow and agreed before glaring at Scorpius.

Lily shook her head, "I can never tell who's wingmanning who."

James grinned and patted his sister on top of the head, "That's the point." He nodded at Albus, "You two?"

"And pops too, actually."

James let out a low whistle, "What about you, Lils? Who's the lipstick for?"

She huffed, "Godric you too? It's for myself!"

Scorpius laughed, "I always forget you're not as daft as you pretend to be, Potter."

James bowed deeply, "The highest of compliments."

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Scorpius was still chatting with Lily and James, watching Albus chat up Catriona nd watching Roxanne flirt with Fiona, "Well, that's brils," he had grinned at Lily when Rose walked in.

Thomasin saw her first, letting out a squeal that made Lily cringe, as Thomasin left Fred and flew towards her friend, "You bloody came, you little minx, you didn't say!"

Scorpius didn't hear Roses' response but he watched the taller girl lean down to pull Thomasin into a firm hug, a large smile on her golden-brown face.

He felt Lily's eyes on him and he pulled his own slate grey eyes away from Rose. He merely arched an eyebrow at Lily. "Oh, pet," she whispered slightly so James wouldn't hear.

He didn't want to know what she meant by that.

"Bloody hell, Rose is back?" James was bewildered.

Scorpius let out a genuine laugh, "Someone had to have told you, mate!"

Lily rolled her eyes and smacked the back of her brother's head, "I bloody told you!"

He rubbed the back of his head and glared at her, "Godric, didn't need to do that."

Scorpius turned to see Albus greeting Rose warmly and soon she was being passed around everyone until she was standing in front of him giving Lily a hug. Her stell blue eyes held his gaze for a moment until she released Lily and took her hands, "Odin, have you gotten taller, Lils?"

Lily smiled wickedly, "Or have you gotten shorter?"

Scorpius tried not to let his eyes graze over her body but he couldn't help it. Her dark brown hair was down in loose waves, streaks of mahogany and amber visible in the brighter lights of the pub. She was wearing Muggle clothes again, this time a canary-yellow blouse that made her skin look more golden and –

He pulled his eyes away as she turned to James, "Jamie, you seem rather surprised to see me," her voice was soft and teasing.

"Yea, well no one bloody told me, did they?"

Rose let out a deep, loud laugh that made Scorpius' lips twitch. It had been a long time since he had heard that laugh…

"I know someone told you Jamie. Mum said she told Aunt Ginny –"

"I told him," Lily shook her head, "clearly he didn't listen and understand."

Rose turned to Scorpius with a slight smirk, "Nice to see you, Malfoy."

His smirk matched hers, "It's been since, what, Christmas –"

"Three years passed?" She finished for him as her smile grew slightly. "Mum reckons your Uncle Harry's favorite Auror –"

James put his arm around him, "Course he is, Scorpie here is the best Auror around, and he's like another kid to good ol' da –"

"Oi, I taught Malfoy everything he knows," Walter interjected with a dramatic glare at James. "Walter MacDonald," he stuck out his hand for Rose to shake.

"Rose Weasley," she flashed him a genuine smile, "you don't seem old enough to have taught Malfoy everything he knows."

"That's because he's not," Scorpius interjected quickly. "He's my partner and apparently a wee bit jealous of –"

"Your hair –" Walter piped in.

"Your charm –" Lily added.

"Your family name!" James offered before Scorpius raised his hand to quiet them, missing a flash of jealousy in Rose's eye.

"He's just generally jealous of me," Scorpius laughed and clapped him on the shoulder, "aren't you, Wally?"

Walter smiled lovingly at Scorpius and batted his eyelashes, "That's because I just love you so bloody much." He turned back to Rose as Lily and James laughed at Scorpius' now slightly pink cheeks, "All right, Weasley, you're back in London, what for? Last I heard, you were a hot shot Healer or Muggle Doctor in Stockholm?"

Scorpius was pleased to see Roses' cheeks were now slightly flushed, "My mum going around bragging?"

"Your dad, actually," Scorpius laughed, "comes and visits Head Auror Potter and brags about you –"

"Minister Granger-Weasley is nothing but professional," Walter flashed Rose a winning smile.

"I've got a position at St. Mungo's," Rose started, "bloody hell I need a pint –"

Scorpius nodded, "Round for you all?" Lily, James, and Walter grinned.

"How lovely, thank you. Scorpius –"

"Bloody hell," he muttered as walked away. He couldn't hear what Rose was saying but he already knew why Rose had gone to Stockholm. Why she was back, however –

"Who's that bird?" The bartender asked, "Not a Quidditch player –"

"No, she's a Weasley –"

The bartender laughed, "Of course she is, should have guessed."

"When in doubt and all that," Scorpius smiled and took the beers.

Rose was laughing at something Walter had said when Scorpius returned with the pints. He arched an eyebrow at Lily but she merely hid her smile behind her pint. "Weasley here was just telling us about her new position at St. Mungo's," Walter said to Scorpius. "She'll be a Healer at nearly every level."

"Impressive," Scorpius nodded at her.

"I want to hear everything about Sweden," Lily gushed.

"Maybe I'll finally visit," her brown eyes widened, "oh! If you're less busy at St. Mungo's –"

"Rather rude," James muttered.

"A bit presumptuous," Scorpius agreed and he saw Rose's mouth twitch out of the corner of his eye.

"You know what I mean," Lily mumbled before continuing, "and you want to visit friends, maybe Roxanne and I could visit, during the off-season, you could show us the sights."

Rose smiled slightly, "That's a good idea, Lils –"

"Oi, I want to come too," James pouted, "I bet Fred will too. And Albie and you, Scorpie –"

"Oh, much too busy –"

"Oh! The whole family!" Lily stood on her toes excitedly.

"I'm not sure," Rose started but stopped when Scorpius turned towards her and met his eyes.

Now that was strange.

Lily noticed too and her face fell slightly as she put her hand on Scorpius arm and opened her mouth to speak. Scorpius wasn't sure what she was going to say, but he shook his head slightly and Lily's mouth closed.

The awkward moment passed and Albus had rejoined them, pulling Rose's attention away briefly. Lily whispered out of the corner of her mouth, "What was that?"

"Not sure," he whispered back, "but I don't think," he hesitated.

She put her hand on his arm and squeezed slightly, "You're a part of this family, Score, you know that."

Scorpius could feel Rose's eyes on him and when he looked up something flashed across her eyes before she turned back to Albus.

"Well I don't know if everyone likes that."

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 _Post-Hogwarts_

"Is that a cigarette, Petal?"

Rose was too surprised to reprimand him for that nickname she despised with every fiber of her being. "Oh," she managed as she looked up at him from her seat on the bench, "isn't this what people do?"

"Hold and stare at a cigarette, no, I don't believe so," his voice was light but his slate grey eyes showed his real concern. "Are you going to smoke it? I mean, you're a Healer –"

"I hadn't really thought it through," she tried to appear nonchalant and carefree but there was a slight edge to her voice. "I bummed it off a Muggle –"

"Petal," he sat down on the bench next to her, "What's going on?"

"I hate that name," she muttered crossly but he ignored her and took the cigarette from her hand to light it with his wand. "What are you –"

He offered it to her but she just stared at him in disbelief.

He slowly took a drag off the cigarette, looking out in front of him to release the smoke. "I've had a few fags in my time," he explained, "James nicked a pack once, my Muggle neighbors," he smiled as he looked at her sideways. "Not that many, you don't need to judge me too harshly."

"I – I wasn't," she continued to watch him as he took a second drag, "I bummed it after all."

"Do you want to try it?" He asked hesitantly. "You still haven't said why you bummed it, Petal."

She gritted her teeth and looked up at the grey sky, pulling her arms closer to her body, "Just one of those days."

He frowned, "I'm going to put this out unless you want it. I'd like to keep my lungs pink."

"Don't want it," she shook her head slightly, some of her brown twists falling in front of her face.

"That one's quite red," Scorpius nodded at one of the fallen twists.

"Just the way the light's hitting it," she shrugged before meeting his eyes, the cigarette floating to a bin.

"Must have been a very bad day to require a cigarette," he pointed out.

"Week, more like," she saw him arched an eyebrow, "month, I suppose."

"Fancy a drink?"

"I really don't want to see anyone, why I chose this bench," she mumbled.

"I know a place," he smiled and stood, "come on. You won't run into anyone." She gave him a look. "It's quite safe, Petal," he laughed lightly, "but you can't tell a soul, clear? I don't want anyone to know."

She still looked hesitant but finally stood, "What's the harm? Could use a pint."

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A/N: Please review! More to come!


	3. III

A/N: Please review! I appreciate any feedback!

Again, this is not canon with HPCC, which I did not read and probably won't…

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"Rose, darling, what are you doing here?" Hermione stood up from her desk with a large smile on her face, her brown eyes bright.

"I was hoping we could grab lunch," she smiled at her mother, not bothering to remind her they had agreed to lunch two days prior.

"Oh, certainly," she looked past Rose to one of her secretaries, "Margie, can I take a lunch now?"

"In twenty, mum, you promised a meeting with Head Auror Potter and Mr. Weasley –"

"Oh, bollocks, that's right," Hermione grumbled, "it'll be short though, I promise."

"Mum, it's really all right," Rose smiled, "I'm off until a meeting at 3."

"Oh, good, well, would you like a tour? One of our new interns could show you around the Ministry during my meeting?"

"Oh, sure," Rose nodded at the young woman who walked into the room as Hermione put her reading glasses on, "Kara, could you show Rose around? 30 minutes, tops."

"Yes, ma'am," Kara smiled shyly at Rose, "this way, please."

They ran into her Uncles Harry and Percy in the hall outside of her mother's office. She gave them both hugs and quickly introduced Kara, "She's showing me around before I grab lunch with mum."

Percy smirked, "I'll be sure we make the meeting as short as possible."

"Kara, you should take her to the Auror Department," Harry smiled, "changed a bit since you were there last."

Rose followed Kara and attempted to make small talk, "What do you, what do you hope to do, what House were you in," but Kara only offered short responses, instead focusing on the "tour".

Uncle Harry was right: the Auror office had changed since she had been there last, probably light years previous. The office itself was brighter, more Aurors were sitting out in the main room at the large tables.

"Weasley," a deep voice called out to her, "what brings you to our humble department?"

"Ms. Weasley is waiting for the Minister to finish a meeting," Kara responded seriously.

"Walter, this is Kara, she's showing me around while I wait," Rose bit back her large smile but her steel blue eyes were bright.

"Oh, how lovely," he clapped a hand on to Kara's shoulder, "come, I'll show you were the best Aurors sit –"

"Heard that, MacDonald," a gruff voice called from the table.

"That's Lee, he's a grump."

"Heard that too!"

They followed Walter to an office, "This is my dear colleague Fiona, I don't know if you met the other night at the pub."

Rose shook her hand, "Nice to meet you, Fiona, I –"

"Fiona, where is that blasted," Scorpius stopped short when he saw Rose and Kara. "Oh, my apologies, didn't know we had visitors."

"Ms. Weasley is –" Kara started.

"Waiting for the Minister, getting a tour," Walter finished.

"Didn't mean to interrupt," Rose couldn't help the slight smirk on her face when she saw Scorpius's look of slight surprise. "Just thought I'd see how it's changed since I was here last."

"Quite a lot, I'd imagine," Scorpius replied. He caught the smirk on Walter's face.

"You looking for this, Malfoy?" Fiona handed him a file.

"Merlin, thank you," Scorpius sighed wih relief. He turned back to Rose, "Bruce is here if you wanted to say hello."

Her face lit up, "He hasn't retired?"

Scorpius couldn't help the smile on his face as he shook his head and turned to lead her to Bruce's office. "Is that Rose bloody Weasley?" Bruce stood up, "Godric, you've grown, haven't you?"

"Uncle Bruce, how are you? Why are you still working? Will Uncle Harry not let you retire?"

He let out a deep laugh and clasped his hands over his stomach, "Who would train the new recruits?" He chuckled again, "Malfoy here would be nothing without my training."

"Unfortunately, you are quite right," Scorpius smiled. "Oh, hullo, Madame Minister."

Rose spun around to see her mum in the doorway, "Auror Malfoy, what have I said –"

"Call you Madame Minister Granger-Weasley or absolutely nothing at all," he repeated solemly.

Rose tired to hide her surprise when her mother laughed and shook her head as if Scorpius was her own son or nephew –

"You are coming to Rosie's luncheon, aren't you? Harry was supposed to invite you and your parents," Hermione continued pleasantly.

Scorpius watched as Rose's head snapped to her mother, her eyebrows raised and Scorpius smiled, "They are so excited to see our little Rose," he assured her.

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 _Flashback Post-Hogwarts_

"I never should have brought you here, Petal," Scorpius sighed as he sat down across from her.

"You didn't bring me a pint," she accused him, "that's not very –"

"Petal," Scorpius started and her eyebrows rose, "why are you here? Again."

"Same reason you are."

"You're injured too? Fancy that," Scorpius's voice was gruff and harsh and Rose tried not to wince as he took a sip of his pint.

"No, I mean, I don't want to see anyone either," her voice fell slightly, "is it true what they're –"

"I came here so I wouldn't have to talk about it." His eyes were so fierce and dark that Rose's mouth dropped in slight shock. She had never seen Scorpius angry –"

"I'm sorry, Malf – Scorpius, I," she frowned slightly, "I don't know what to say really."

"There's nothing to say," he sighed again, "I didn't mean to snap at you." He took another sip of his lager, "I just don't want to talk about it or think about my Quidditch career being over." Her eyes snapped to his face but she kept her mouth shut. "Not yet at least."

Rose nodded, "We don't have to talk," she swallowed and Scorpius wondered briefly if she was nervous.

"I don't want to be alone either," he said softly to her.

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Astoria's straightened Draco's shirt slightly with a wide smile, "I'll never quite get used to it."

"What's that, darling?" Draco smiled at her in the mirror, "That Scorpius is best mates with Potter," he chuckled.

She pulled on his ear playfully. "That he's an adult," she winked and left for the hallway.

"Mum! Dad!" Scorpius had stepped through the Floo, "You ready?"

"Yes, darling," Astoria called, "come along, Draco. Grab the wine and –"

"You didn't get a gift did you?"

Draco clapped his son on the shoulder and thrust the bottle of wine into his hands. "Mr. Weasley was talking about Muggle microwave last time –"

"And we all agreed that was much too dangerous," Astoria added helpfully.

"But I saw an electric tea kettle," Draco shrugged.

Scorpius would have asked which Mr. Weasley, but he knew the only person Draco called 'Mr. Weasley' (despite his constant reminders to call him by his first name) was Arthur Weasley himself. "Rather kind of you, dad." Draco merely shrugged but Scorpius knew how much Draco admired the elder Weasley.

"All right," Astoria smiled, "let's go, shall we?"

Lily flew to Scorpius as soon as he walked through the front door of the Burrow. "Grandmum's on the warpath for me to get a boyfriend," she whispered, "give me a name of a bloke you know –"

"Lily, I'm not –"

"Luka Stinson," Astoria smiled prettily, "hullo, Lily darling. That's one of Scorpius's Muggle friends –"

Lily's eyebrows shot up, "Quick on the deaw, Ms. Malfoy." She leaned in closer, "Is he cute?"

"One of the ugliest lads I've ever seen, unfortunately," Draco whispered dryly.

Lily managed to clap her hand over her mouth before she burst into surprised laughter.

"Your grandmother will never know," Astoria assured her, "just to get her off your back."

Lily looked at the two older adults, "Godric, thank you, bloody life savers –"

Mrs. and Mr. Weasley were suddenly there in the entryway beckoning the Malfoys further into the Burrow. "Draco, my boy," Arthur shook his hand firmly, "how are –" his blue eyes widened as Draco took the tea kettle out of the bag. "Come, tell me everything – how ever do you use it –"

Molly managed to pull Draco into a firm hug before Arthur guided him away. "It's just an electric tea kettle," Astoria smiled and hugged Mrs. Weasley, "very low chance of injury."

"Or explosion, I hope," Molly grinned. "Oh, Scorpius, have you been eating, child?" She hugged him and patted his back, "Come. Go grab a plate –"

Lily glared at Scorpius and waved at him from behind her grandmother but Scorpius ignored her as Molly guided him into the kitchen. He reveled in Lily's growing theatrics. "Stop trying to force feed him, grandmum," Albus finally came to Scorpius's rescue.

She huffed slightly but finally acquiesced, "Fine, fine. As long as you all promise you're eating –"

"We most certainly are, Mrs. Weasley –"

"Please, Scorpius, call me Grandmum," Molly patted his arm.

"Yes, Grandmum Weasley."

"Oh, Lily, would you stop moving around so much, I can see you."

Lily froze, her brown eyes wide, her hands above her head, "Scorpius had something important to tell you, grandmum."

"Oh?" Molly turned back to Scorpius.

"Yes, actually, I was hoping to see if Lily wanted to go on a blind date with my mate, Luka."

Molly's eyes narrowed, "Luka who?"

"Stinson," Scorpius didn't hesitate, knowing full well Molly was looking for a slip-up. "Muggle. Grew up down the block from me. Ran into him after Sunday tea with mum and dad."

"Profession?"

"Writes for a sports blog. Football mainly," Scorpius didn't break eye contact.

Molly watched him for a moment until she turned to Lily, "When?" 

"Not sure," Lily was an experienced liar, "Scorpius was going to set up a time and place for us to meet. He's going to lend me a Muggle mobile phone."

Molly nodded, accepting all these answers, "Oh, that's lovely. Thank you, Scorpius, lovely of you to think of Lily." She clapped her hands and was going to say more but her attention landed on Ron and George who were crowding around Draco and Arthur, "Please be careful –"

Lily grabbed Scorpius's arm and squeezed hard, "You're a bloody lifesaver, I owe you, pet."

Scorpius arched an eyebrow, "You most definitely do. But first, I think, a drink."

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"Well, if it isn't the woman of the hour," Draco smiled when he finally saw Rose.

"Oh, hullo, Mr. Malfoy," Rose said politely. She had never really spoken much to the elder Malfoy, despite his occasional presence at Potter-Weasley events during her time at Hogwarts.

"How does it feel to be back in England? Back at St. Mungo's?"

"Quite a deal warmer," she said off-handedly and Draco bit back a smile, his eyes widening slightly. "St. Mungo's is rather the same, I suppose," she met his eyes.

"Except your position," his head tilted slightly, "your father's mentioned it once or twice –"

"Oh, um –" Rose felt her cheeks grow warm and hoped he wouldn't notice.

"Sounds like the created this extraordinary position just for you?"

"Um," Rose opened her mouth but wasn't sure how to respond, not wanting to brag in front of Mr. Malfoy, whom she barely knew.

"Yes, they did create it just for her," Ron put his arm around her shoulders, grinning widely at Draco. "Rosie's not one to brag, like her mother, Draco, you know. But Godric knows I love to brag for the both of them." Rose's cheeks were visibly pink now as she watched Draco chuckle. "They were desperate to get her back –"

"No, they –"

"Asking for ages," Ron was gesticulating now and Rose wanted nothing more than to run and hide.

"Ron, I rather think you're embarrassing her," Draco smiled at Ron and Rose's eyes widened. They were calling each other by their first names. "Don't worry, Rose, I've heard all this before. I think it's more for your benefit this time." And they were being friendly.

Ron laughed and pulled Rose closer to him, "She's too easy to embarrass, but I did miss doing it."

Rose refrained from whining, 'Daaaad,' so instead settled with, "Can't wait for more."

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"Have you seen her yet?" Lily took a sip of her Muggle beer, glad James and Fred brought some.

"Who?" Scorpius waved to James who was chatting to Dominque, "When did she get back from her trip? I want to hear about the dragons."

Lily closed her eyes to refrain from rolling them, "Not Dom, you wanker. Rose."

"You have to be more specific, pet, I saw her the other day –"

"Stop being difficult on purpose," she said in her most authoritative voice.

"You sound just like your mum when you do that," Scorpius's eyes were wide.

"I learned from the best," she sighed slightly, "have you seen Rose today?"

"Well," Scorpius looked out over the redheads and brunettes he was taller than, "she seems to be chatting with her dad and my dad." He thought for a moment, "I don't know if she's ever properly spoken to my dad."

Lily frowned slightly, "Really? How can that be?"

Scorpius looked at her and patted her lightly on the head, "Oh, my naïve little flower, things have changed the past few years. Sadly, I'm starting to worry you may only be as observant as James –"

"Lily's mouth opened in anger and irritation, "How –"

Ginny Potter put her hand on Lily's shoulder, "Now, Lils, do you really want to be mean to the lad who saved you from grandmum?"

Lily closed her mouth but narrowed her eyes at him.

"Thank you, Mrs. Potter," Scorpius smiled charmingly, "your most recent article, may I say, was absolutely riveting. Father and I –"

Ginny smiled, "Your mum already told me," she winked, "but I appreciate the praise." There was a loud pop and Ginny winced, "That better have been George and not –"

"I'm fine!" Someone called, "It's fine, everything's –"

"Nope, it's not –" Ron shook his head, "everyone outside for a few minutes –"

Ginny groaned, "Bollocks. What the bloody hell –" she wandered off.

"Outside, I guess," Lily shrugged, following most of her cousins outside.

"No, I better go look," he pointed at her, "you go outside, but –"

"You're an Auror, I know," Lily finished for him. "Hopefully it was just a prank or a Muggle thing."

Scorpius reached Harry, Ginny, and the other older adults were crowded around when Harry smiled at him, "Good man, Scorpius –"

"I thought I'd check since –"

"It was just a loose rocket that we were creating and –" Ron started.

"Were you testing it here?" Ginny hissed, her eyes darting between Ron and George.

"No, we weren't, we just wanted some more eyes and minds on it, that's all," George looked sheepish. "We were going to take it outside –"

"It ignited?" Rose added helpfully.

Scorpius's grey eyes darted to Rose; where had she come from?

"Yes, well –"

"Back to the drawing board, mates," Harry tried his best to hide his smile. "Next time just invite us round the shop."

"All right, let's all go outside," Ginny shooed Scorpius and Rose out first.

"Will you come by soon, Scorpius? We're hoping you'll give it a quick look," George called after them, ignoring Ginny's glares and Angelina rolling her eyes.

"Sure thing, Mr. Weasley –"

"Bloody hell what id I –"

"Next week for certain," Scorpius cut him off as he finally stepped outside. Rose was openly staring at him, "What? Don't worry, that happens sometimes, not often though. There was a rather big explosion on Roxanne's birthday, fireworks gone awry." He frowned slightly, "Why are you staring at me? It's rather disconnecting you know."

"They want your help with a product?" Rose barely managed not to blurt out her question.

"Oh, yea," he shrugged slightly, "I fixed their design for one of the products in their 'Helpful Hoaxes' line and they ask for Potions help –"

"Potions and designs?" She let out a breath, "Dad never mentioned," she eyed him again.

He felt as though he needed to defend himself to her, like she was irritated by his friendships with her various family members. But at the same time he felt like he needed to assure her that it wasn't a big deal; he wasn't doing much but offering help when asked. He opened his mouth, still unsure what to say when Dominique bounded over to them, her long, light strawberry-blonde hair flying behind her.

"Rose," she cried, wrapping her arms around the slightly shorter girl, "I can't believe you're back, Merlin I'm so happy, you're at St. Mungo's bloody hell I want to hear everything –" she took a breath and blushed prettily, "Sorry. I just saw mum – you know how I bloody start to talk too fast around her."

Rose was smiling widely as she pulled Dominique into a firm hug, "I'm so pleased to see you, Dom! I've missed you –"

"I can't believe you got here when I was visiting Uncle Charlie –"

"How is Uncle Charlie?" Rose's steel blue eyes lit up, "How were the dragons?"

"They were incredible," Dominique was beaming before turned her attention to Scorpius, "and how's my favorite Malfoy?"

Scorpius's smile was lopsided, "Pleased as punch to see you, Nic."

She grimaced and let out a chuckle, "Hits me hard every time I hear that, Malfoy. Uncle Harry was blathering on about you to dad earlier," she rolled her hazel-blue eyes, "bloody awful."

"I assure you it was all lies, I'm still –"

"Scorpius!" James reached them, "Come here, I need you to save me –"

"Grandmum?"

James clasped his hands together to beg, "Someone at the department or a Muggle or something? Like you helped Lils?"

Scorpius shrugged, "All right, let's have a think, leave Rose and Dom to catch up." He shook his head, "I really should start charging you lot for this. I could retire now."

Dominique turned to her cousin, catching Rose watching Scorpius and James walking away with a strange look on her face, "We have quite a bit to talk about, I see."

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 _Flashback, Hogwarts_

"Merlin, she's pretty," Scorpius said dreamily.

"She's my cousin," Albus muttered.

"Sorry, I just," Scorpius shrugged, "I won't mention it again, I –"

"She told us the Hat had a hard time Sorting her," Albus said, looking up from his place. "She could have been in Ravenclaw too."

"Really?" Scorpius was impressed, "She is really clever," his mouth hung open as the object of his affection, who had been talking to Rose at the Ravenclaw table, now approached the Slytherin table.

"You two ready for the match tomorrow?" Dominique smiled widely, "I've got some new shots, Al," she winked.

"I'm ready," Albus responded, "James already mentioned –"

"Of course he did," she laughed. "Can't bloody keep a secret, can he? Scorpius, you ready to play against James and Fred?"

Scorpius swallowed quickly, "I think so, but we'll find out –"

"He's being modest," Albus tried not to smile too widely, "I'd say he's almost as good as they are."

"Brilliant," Dominique said cheerfully, "see you two on the pitch tomorrow!" Waving to her year mates, she bounded away and Scorpius let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

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"So, uh," Rose started.

"You're feeling replaced by Malfoy," Dominique said bluntly.

"No, I'm," Rose sighed, "I'm not entirely sure what I'm feeling."

"He's not replacing you, Rosie. No one could," Dominique linked her arm through Rosie's.

"He seems to be around an awful lot," Rose muttered.

"Ah," Dominique nodded, "you wouldn't have noticed before –"

"I was in Sweden –"

"Before that, love," Dominique let out a delicate laugh, "while you were training at St. Mungo's. Scorpius was on my team, remember? He's bestmates with Al. He was around before you left, but you had strange hours. And now he works for Uncle Harry and –"

"He helps with the shop," Rose said incredulously, "dad is friendly with Mr. Malfoy!"

"And Mrs. Malfoy," Dominique added cheerfully as Rose groaned softly in irritation.

"Gets along bloody famously with James and Lily too," Rose muttered under her breath.

Dominique stopped walking and put her hands on Rose's shoulders – Rose was tall, but Dominique was slightly taller. "I'm not sure what's going on, Rose, but he's not replacing you. Scorpius is a member of this family and he has been for some time. You just didn't want to acknowledge that." Dominique smiled slightly and patted her arm, "Now, enough of Malfoy, tell me about Sweden. And what happened with –"

Rose's eyes widened, "Odin, don't mention him – did you tell anyone –"

Dominique laughed loudly, "You're too easy, Rosie."

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A/N: Please please review!


	4. IV

A/N: Please review!

Please check out my story that is OC/Cedric too!

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 _Flashback Post-Hogwarts_

"Merlin, Stockholm is beautiful," Dominique breathed as they sat on a bench along the water, her eyes drifting to some tall blonde men who walked past them.

Rose laughed, the deep laugh that Teddy and her Uncle George used to playfully tease her for only to make her laugh more. "You've barely even seen –"

"I've seen enough," Dominique arched a pale red eyebrow, her clear hazel-blue eyes betraying how amused she was, "when do I get to meet your bloke?"

"He's not my bloke," Rose bristled slightly, "I don't much have time for a bloke, nor does he since he's at hospital too –"

"Muggle?"

"Yea," her shoulders slumped some, "adds an extra layer of difficulty, really. I don't know how –"

"Dates?" Dominique pressed, her eyes following another man walking along the water.

"A few –"

"Sex?" Dominique's lips curled slightly, "I really hope you say yes, if he's –"

"Yes," Rose mumbled, "in hospital and at his flat once, but it's nothing serious –"

"That's all right," Dominique was grinning, "I've got 'nothing serious' with a Quidditch player from Australia who's on loan –"

"The one on Al's team?" Rose's eyes were round, "Does he know?"

"No one does and you better not spill the beans," Dominique threatened.

"If you keep your mouth shut about Sven –"

"Course," Dominique relaxed, "when do I get to meet him?"

Rose sighed, "Drinks tonight before we head out to the fjords tomorrow. You better be on your best bloody behavior."

Dominique looked mildly offended, "Aren't I always?"

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"I've missed someone doing my hair," Rose sighed contentedly as Roxanne twisted her hair, "you were always so much better at it than mum –"

"I love Aunt Hermione, but she, as dad always said, cared more about books than her hair," Roxanne smiled and turned to Dominique and Lily, "really should have taught you two how to do our hair –"

"I can barely do my own –"

"Thank Merlin for magic," Dominique agreed.

"It's fun to play with it," Roxanne shrugged, "and Rosie's got such pretty hair, all these colors."

"We've missed you, Rosie, glad you're back," Dominique raised her glass of wine.

"Nice to hang out with a gal who doesn't play Quidditch," Lily agreed as she flipped through a Muggle magazine Roxanne had brought.

"Speaking of," Roxanne smiled mischievously, "if you meet any young ladies at St. Mungo's –"

"What about that Fiona, the Auror?" Lily's head snapped up.

"Still not sure," Roxanne shrugged, "hopefully we can crash another drinks soon."

"I'm sure Scorp will have no problem organizing that discreetly," Dominique smiled. "He seems invested in getting Al and that other Auror –"

"Catriona," Lily nodded, "really hoping that'll work out."

"He sets everybody up?" Rose asked politely, not noticing the three girls glance at each other briefly.

"We've been encouraging Albus to get out there recently. After Betty stomped all over him," Lily grimaced, "was absolutely brutal."

"Grandmum doesn't hound him about dates like she does the rest of us," Roxanne shrugged, "so he helps us lie to her sometimes. Sets us up sometimes."

"He knows everyone," Lily smiled, glancing at Rose, "so bloody personable."

"Grandmum did try to set him up a couple of times," Dominique said conspiratorially.

"No –"

"Really?"

"When?" Lily and Roxanne had the uncanny ability to talk rapidly and finish each other's thoughts like James and Fred could.

"I overhead mum, Auntie Mione, and Aunt Ginny talking about it," Dominique leaned closer to them. "I can't believe I never told you –"

"Get on with it!"

"Bloody tell us –"

"She asked Aunt Ginny, not long after he became an Auror, why he and I never dated while we were on the team together –"

"No –"

"Bloody –"

"Way –" The pair burst into a fit of giggles while Rose managed to remain stoic.

"It's not that absurd a thought," Rose muttered.

They all stopped laughing and looked at their cousin. "Teammates," Lily said simply.

"Friends," Roxanne agreed.

"He did have that crush on you at school," Rose shrugged.

"Yea, who didn't have a crush on Dom during school?" Lily took another sip of wine.

"Quite right," Dominique nodded and Rose rolled her eyes and smiled at her confidence. "Anyway, then Grandmum asked if he might date Lily –"

This caused an even louder laugh than before, as Lily and Roxanne looked genuinely shocked. "She was joking, right?"

"She had to be joking –"

"What did mum say?"

"She laughed and said you lot were just good mates –"

"True," Lily agreed.

"But you know grandmum, she didn't buy it," Dominique continued, "so Aunt Ginny said that Scorpius didn't see you that way –"

"Harsh," Roxanne laughed.

"Said that she reckoned he fancied someone else," Dominique finished, watching Rose from over the rim of her wine glass.

Lily's mouth opened slightly as she gaped at Dominique for a moment before her eyes glanced at Roxanne who stood perfectly still.

"Oh," Rose looked around at her cousins, "did he have a girlfriend?"

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Scorpius took a sip of his tea, his eyes never leaving the paper when there was a knock on the door. Frowning he stood to peer through the peephole before opening the door, "I have a Floo, you know."

"I know," Dominique was smiling widely, "I went for a run. Can I have a glass of water, Malfoy?"

He went to the sink, "As much as I enjoy seeing you, it's early and I have –"

She took the water, "Go on, keep reading your paper." She smirked, "I'll wait. Is Al here?"

"Early practice," he shrugged and gestured for her to sit, "why are you here?"

"Just wanted to see how you were," she smiled prettily, "see how my favorite –"

He groaned, "Merlin, you're worse than Lily you know."

"Course I am," she looked slightly offended, "I know –"

"I am fine, you prat," he rolled his eyes, "I am fine, everything is lovely, you are worrying about nothing."

Dominique's voice softened and she put her hand over his, "I don't want you to get hurt, Malfoy."

Scorpius met her eyes and said sincerely, "I won't, Dom. I am an adult, aren't I? And how can I get hurt when I'm not expecting or looking for anything?"

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 _Flashback Post Hogwarts_

"I still feel like everyone is giving me special treatment and attention," Rose said softly and Scorpius strained to hear her over the sounds of the pub.

"I'm sure they aren't, Petal. Unless you're forgetting how smart you are?"

"No," she frowned slightly, "it's more than that. It's the instructors and the other Healers-in-Training." Her steel blue eyes met his slate grey eyes, "I can just tell that something is different, because I'm the Minister's daughter."

Scorpius kept eye contact with her, unable to look away. He understood, of course. It was what he had felt at school, what he knew Albus felt, what Draco felt –

"It's never as much as you think it is," Scorpius said quietly, "it's always louder and more noticeable in your own head."

"What –"

"My family, Petal." Scorpius's face changed slightly, but enough for Rose to notice and feel terrible.

"Oh, of course, I'm sorry –"

He attempted a smile but took a sip of his lager instead, "It's not your fault. Children are cruel and it's hard for people to change." He shrugged, "I understand what you're feeling, but I promise you, it isn't as bad as you think."

She sighed and slumped slightly into her chair, "I wish there was something I could do."

"Leave," Scorpius said off-handedly, "or get a bit more drunk, which I think is a better idea." He stood, taking their empty glasses away for new ones, missing the look that crossed her face.

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Scorpius wore a huge grin as he stepped through the doors of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes headquarters in Diagon Alley, a small boy nearly running into him as he chased a rubber snake that was slithering through the air. "I told you snakes don't fly," Scorpius said to George who greeted him.

"And what fun is a snake who merely stays on the ground?" George clapped him on the back, "How are you, my boy?"

"Tired –"

"Aren't we all," George replied dramatically, guiding him towards the back. "Now, your father mentioned you used to be obsessed with," he frowned, "what were they called? Dragons that couldn't breathe?"

Scorpius snorted, "Is that what Father called them? They're dinosaurs –"

"Ah, yes, dinosaurs. They ruled the planet or something like that?"

Scorpius followed him through the colorful aisles, "Godric, you need to go to a Muggle library –"

"Library? No, no thank you –"

"I'll bring you some books," he very nearly rolled his eyes at the look George gave him. "Picture books of course. About dinosaurs, wooly mammoths?"

"Wooly mammoths?" Ron's eyebrows shot up as they walked through the door to what Fred and Roxanne called the laboratory.

"Elephants with fur," Scorpius explained, "no longer exist." He sighed, "You really miss a lot without a Muggle education."

"Oi –"

Scorpius put up his hands, "You'll like these books. Novelty items. Like cowboys and Indians," he was met with blank stares. "Godric, you'll love that."

"Dad, what –" Rose stopped when her eyes landed on Scorpius. "Oh, hullo, Malfoy, didn't know you were here."

"Rose, love, maybe Scorpius can look at that potion with you? It's rather tricky," Ron explained, "not quite right."

"Oh, splendid idea, Ron. You two were good at Potions, weren't you?"

Rose arched an eyebrow as Scorpius smirked slightly, "You could say that."

There was a crash outside and Ron winced slightly but George shook his head, "Let them take care of it, they need to learn." He nodded at Rose, "Show Score, won't you? We need to look at this bloody rocket –"

Scorpius followed Rose to a lab bench that Hermione had designed, "What's the potion?"

She handed him a list of ingredients, "It all makes sense on paper –"

"Quantities?"

"Yes –"

"Order?"

Rose put her hands on her hips, "I was number two in Potions, Malfoy, not 20."

Scorpius's mouth twitched, "Just gathering information, Petal."

She bit back a groan but waited for him to read through everything before pointing to the cauldron next to them, "I thought maybe more mint?"

Scorpius frowned, "That won't do much, though. Foxglove?"

She shook her head slightly, "That would have to be before the rose thorn."

He willed his mind to ignore the fact that she was standing so close to him, their heads close together as they surveyed the list and the cauldron. No, he needed to focus –

"Lemongrass," he lifted his head.

"And kelp!" She finished, her bright eyes meeting his, "Yes, that's brilliant!"

"I think that will –"

"It definitely –"

"Do you have a pen –"

"How Muggle of you," she smiled at him. "I forgot how good of a team we were at Potions."

Scorpius stared at her for a short moment before catching himself and arching an eyebrow at her as he took the pen she handed him. "I'm more than happy to consult for you at St. Mungo's –"

He expected her to roll her eyes or groan. What he did not expect was for her to genuinely laugh.

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"You all right, Malfoy?" Dominique sat down next to him.

He opened his mouth to retort, but he knew she could see right through him. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

Dominique sighed and looked out at her family, "Does seem like a rather melancholy holiday, doesn't it?"

"Did you know she was leaving?" He tried to keep his voice steady and neutral but he could feel her eyes on him.

"Not until a week before, no. Didn't know she was even considering it," she took a sip of her brandy. "Everyone was a bit shocked by it."

Scorpius didn't know if it was the eggnog that he assumed James and Fred spiked more than usual, or that he could trust Dominique, but he found himself telling her, "We had been meeting up for drinks before all this."

"When?" Dominique asked just as softly.

"Past few months," he shrugged, "not long after," he swallowed.

Dominique put her hand on his and nodded, "We'll be all right, Malfoy," she smiled at him, the pain in his dark grey eyes pulling at her heart. "I promise."

He nodded at her, unable to properly articulate his thanks.

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A/N: So yea, Rose sorta just surprised everyone with her leaving for Stockholm and didn't even tell Scorpius at all, just stopped showing up at the pub…

Please review!


	5. V

A/N: Please review! I really appreciate any and all reviews! :)

Please check out my other story I'm currently writing, _The Triplets of Hogwarts_ ,a Cedric/OC story!

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"Come on team," Scorpius clapped his hands and stood up, "I'm tired of paperwork -"

"We need a break," Walter agreed, "it's nearly time anyway."

"Good," Scorpius smiled, "Lily is forcing me to drinks later, trying to set me up –"

"Bout time –"

"You could use a bird –"

"Why not just date Potter –"

Scorpius held up his hand, "I wasn't asking for your input," he rolled his eyes, "but I could use a drink beforehand. I'm not very keen on drinking with Quidditch players –"

"I'm in," Walter jumped up, "fun seeing you squirm a bit."

Fiona shrugged and looked at Catriona, "Could be a laugh –"

"I do love laughing at you, sir –"

Scorpius bit back a groan, "Splendid. Bloody splendid."

Scorpius met Lily's eyes when he entered the pub and winked discreetly at her. "Merlin this place is already pretty crowded," Fiona tucked some of her long blonde hair behind her ear.

Roxanne popped out of nowhere surprising Scorpius slightly as she often did, "Hiya, Malfoy."

"Oh, hullo, Roxie, you remember –"

"Fiona, right?" Roxanne's lips parted into a flirtatious smile, "Can I buy you a drink?"

Fiona's cheeks pinked slightly, her pale grey eyes locked on Roxanne's brown ones, "Oh, sure, that'd be lovely." She followed Roxanne to the bar and Scorpius smiled as he watched them.

"Sir, is, um," Catriona started.

"Please –"

"Is your mate Albus going to be here?" She met Scorpius's eyes with a confidence that made him smile.

"I know for a fact he will," he smiled.

"Are you trying to –"

"I would never," he put a hand to his chest, "and I am offended you would even insinuate –"

"All right, sir," Catriona patted his arm, "let me buy you a drink to thank you for not setting me up –"

Scorpius laughed as he followed her to the bar, running into Albus on the way there. Excusing himself so they could chat, he found Lily holding a pint out for him. "Good work," she clinked his glass and arched an eyebrow, "Walter said how suave you were, saying I was setting you up."

"I'm very quick on my feet," Scorpius said in his most intimidating and posh voice, "you should know that by now, Lily."

She eyed him wickedly, "Do you want me to se you up?"

"With one of your teammates?" Scorpius chuckled, "All of whom I've already met?" He patted her arm, "No, love, I'm all right."

She shrugged, "Or any of the –"

Dominique was suddenly there, her arm around Scorpius's shoulder, "Don't bother, Potter, the only Quidditch player Malfoy would ever consider dating is me –"

Lily laughed loudly and Scorpius shook his head, pinching one of Dominique's cheek, "No material for your comedy routine, Weasley?"

Dominique laughed, putting her head on his shoulder, "Oh, Malfoy, one day you'll get over me, I promise." She eyed Lily, "But, Malfoy, who are we going to set young Lily up with? I mean, Merlin, she's wearing lipstick again –"

"That's what, three times –"

"Who are you impressing, young lady, is he good enough for you," Dominique teased, laughing lightly at Lily's indignant face.

"Rose invited some Healers –"

Dominique stood up straighter, running a hand through her hair, "Why didn't you say?" She looked out over what heads she could see over, "Quick, come to the bathroom with me, Potter. Sorry, Malfoy."

Scorpius laughed as the girls headed towards the bathroom and with a slightly relieved sigh leaned against the bar to sip his beer in peace. He looked out across the pub, pleased to see his friends and family chatting and enjoying their time. He had a good feeling about Catriona and Albus, and even Roxanne and Fiona –

He had just finished his first pint, about to order another, when Rose was there, at his elbow, a small smile playing on her lips, "Didn't mean to steal your dates, Malfoy."

He arched an eyebrow at her, "If you're insinuating that I'm attempting to date both of your cousins –"

"So just one, then?" Her deep laugh made him crack a smile, "Can I buy you a whiskey?"

"Can't remember the last time," he started but trailed off.

"Christmas," she responded, "three years past." She ordered the drinks and handed it to him, "Cheers."

"What are we celebrating, exactly?" His voice was slightly more gruff and hard than he meant it to be.

"Family," she looked out at the pub, "friends, new beginnings," she met his eyes and raised her glass.

They clinked glasses and were quiet for a moment as Scorpius looked out at their friends, Rose's dark blue eyes watching him. "I didn't mean to steal your matchmaker thunder."

Scorpius laughed, causing Rose to smile, "You're doing me a favor. Lily and Dominique are impossible. Almost as hard as Albus –"

"He seems to be getting on with your mate," Rose tore her eyes off him, instead eyeing the contents of her glass.

"Aye, I hope so," Scorpius looked over at her, "she's a good sort." He didn't mean to, but he couldn't help but admire her looking effortlessly beautiful in the pub – He tore his eyes away before he got lost staring at her.

"Scorpius," Rose started, causing him to look at her again, "I'm," she took a deep breath, "I'm –"

He shook his head, "It's –"

"No," her hand was on his arm, "I'm –"

"Is that whiskey?" James was there, making a face at them. "Bloody gross. How are you, Rosie? How's St. Mungo's?"

"Oh," Rose tried to meet Scorpius's eyes but he was staring off into the crowd, "it's good, thanks Jamie," she attempted a smile.

"I heard you're setting up Dominique and Lils," he said seriously.

"Oh, I'm –"

"I'll tell you what I always tell Scorp – be careful don't set them up with a bloody wanker –"

"No, of course –"

"I don't want them getting hurt –"

"They haven't yet," Scorpius clapped James on the back with a smile. "They're pretty good at taking care of themselves, but it's sweet he worries." He raised his glass at them, "If you'll excuse me, thanks for the whiskey, Weasley." He walked away and Rose frowned slightly.

"Rosie," James said softly, "please don't hurt him."

Rose looked at her cousin, her steel blue eyes wide, "What –"

James put his hand on her arm, "I'm not blind, Rosie, and I'm not stupid." She shook her head slightly but James spoke again before she could, "Scorpius is like a brother to me, and if I could, I'd have him date Lily or Dom because I'd know they'd be taken care of –"

"Wha –"

"But they know, and I know, his hear belongs to someone else –"

"James," Rose breathed.

"Oh, hullo, Walter, how are you, old man?" James started towards Walter, leaving Rose alone with her thoughts.

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Rose didn't see Scorpius the rest of the night, not for lack of trying. Every time she spotted Scorpius and his platinum blonde hair, he was elsewhere by the time she reached the spot. Was he avoiding her? She just wanted to apologize – for what she wasn't entirely sure, a million things – so why was he –

"Hiya," Lily sidled up to her, "you all right? Seem a bit, consumed by your thoughts, I guess."

Rose smiled at her cousin, "So, what do you think of them?"

"Yea, they're all right –"

Rose sighed, "What's wrong? You've barely chatted with them."

Lily shrugged, "No, they're nice enough, I just, waiting for that spark, I guess, you know?" She sighed, "I know it sounds cliché, but I bloody hate dating and don't want to spend time on boring blokes I know won't make me happy in the end."

Rose watched her cousin, "Lily," she started.

"I know, it's bloody –"

"No, it's very true," Rose smiled at her, "rather brave for you to admit. I admire your honesty."

"You sure you're all right," Lily laughed, "even I think it seems daft."

"How's Dom doing with them?"

Lily laughed and pointed to the three men chatting with Dominique, their eyes never leaving her. "Wish I could say it's because she's part Veela," Lily smiled widely, "but we know that's not the case."

"None will keep her fancy, eh?"

Lily shook her head, "Doubt it." She saw Scorpius heading for the door and she bustled, "That bastard's trying to sneak out," she waved at Scorpius. "Pretending like he didn't see me," she muttered as he walked over, "Sneaking out, are we?" Lily asked hotly.

Scorpius looked slightly sheepish and Rose found it charming –

"Didn't see you, love, sorry," he shrugged, "got an early day –"

"Bollocks," Lily watched him closely. "Rose and I were talking about Dom. Trying to set her up is hard after –"

Scorpius gave her a hard look that did not go unnoticed by Rose. "She enjoys dating, just like James and Roxie do," Scorpius said sternly. "Some people actually like going on dates –"

"Gross," Lily giggled and shoved Scorpius's arm. "All right, Score, if you're so eager to leave, go ahead, I'll fill you in later, plan next steps."

He kissed her cheek, "Night, Lils," he nodded at Rose. "Night, Weasley."

Rose frowned and debated going after him, but what would she say? How could she apologize for things that happened years ago?

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 _Flashback_

Dominique watched Rose pick at her food, "What's wrong?"

"Oh," Rose frowned, knowing she couldn't lie to her cousin, "have you," she hesitated, "how's Albus?"

"He doesn't hate you, if that's what you're asking," Dominique took a bite of her pie. "Misses you. Wonders why you didn't tell him you were thinking of leaving –"

"Dom, I'm –"

"But he doesn't hate you, Rose."

Rose sighed and managed a small nod, "I'll visit," she promised, "more, I mean."

Dominique watched her, wanting to ask about the last time she had visited, but refrained. It wouldn't help to bring up events she wasn't even certain had happened.

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Albus leaned in the doorway of the kitchen, "Thanks, mate."

Scorpius didn't look up from the paper, "For what?"

"Introducing me to Catriona," Albus shook his head, "what else?"

Scorpius looked up and laughed, "I made tea, maybe you were really excited about tea." He grinned, "Taking her out on a proper date then?"

"Friday night," Albus tried to hide his excitement but Scorpius could see through it.

"Jolly good," Scorpius clapped his hands, "that's good news indeed." There was a knock on the door and with a smile Scorpius went to answer it. "Good morning – oh, hullo, Weasley." Scorpius looked surprised.

"Morning, Malfoy," Rose grinned at Scorpius's surprised face, "you going to invite me in?"

"Of course, please, do come in –"

"You're early," Albus smiled at his cousin, 'grab a cup while I get my things."

Scorpius offered to get her a cup as Albus went back to his room, "Have a seat, Weasley, you can take the front of the Prophet, I've already read it."

"Thanks," she took the cup and paper from him, "Albus has a later practice and could squeeze me in for brunch."

Scorpius leaned against the counter and watched her for a moment. Her dark-mahogany twists were pulled into a loose knot low on her head, her lips a dark burgundy that Scorpius noticed didn't stain her cup. "Nice for you to have a flexible schedule too," he offered.

"For now," she gave him a sideways look, "that won't last long. Sickness and all that."

"Until you're very senior and you can delegate constantly –"

"The dream," Rose smiled slightly. "That's a very bright tie."

Scorpius coughed, "Ah yea, your dear cousin Fred gave it to me for my birthday last year. As a joke, I think, but I rather like it –"

"It's," Rose cocked her head slightly, "you can pull it off," she offered.

Scorpius laughed, "That's the nicest thing anyone's said about it, that's for certain."

They sat in companionable silence for a moment, Scorpius fiddling with the end of his very bright purple tie, trying not to look at Rose in that very becoming navy blue sheath dress –

"Scorpius, I –"

"All right, Rose, I'm ready," Albus walked back into the kitchen, "see you later, Scorp."

Rose closed her mouth and stood to follow her cousin, watching Scorpius as she left with a small frown.

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"You're quite the difficult woman to get in touch with," Fred stood in the doorway of her office, "I had to flirt with more than two bloody mediwitches just to find out where your office was."

Rose arched an eyebrow, "Only two, Freddie? Feeling ill, are we? Out of sorts?"

"Ha, ha," he sat down in a chair on the other side of her desk, "I'd forgotten how clever you are."

She smiled and put down her Muggle pen, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Wanted to see your office, see if Uncle Ron was telling the truth about how bloody important you are."

"You doubt my importance?" She feigned shock.

"Just checking it's justified," he leaned back in his chair, "and my wrist aches a bit –"

"Ah –"

"Nothing major –"

"But the papers –"

"More worried about Jamesy finding out –"

"I can do a quick scan here," she gestured for him to put his arm on the table, "but if it's more serious –"

"It won't be," he said firmly. His dark brown eyes met her dark blue ones, "it won't be," he repeated.

She nodded and slowly dragged her wand over his wrist, her face still. Fred was holding his breath, watching her face for any fear or –

"Nothing a Muggle ibuprofen twice a day for a week can't fix," she smiled at him, "just a little inflamed."

"So it's –"

"I'll take you to the Muggle store, Fred, Muggles take it for headaches and things too –"

"Oh, Godric," he let out a long sigh, "thank you, Rosie, I don't know –"

She stood and picked up her bag and her blazer, "Come on, we can go now."

They had left the Muggle drugstore after Rose had to physically pull Fred away from the candy section and were heading back to Diagon Alley where they ran into Thomasin and Scorpius talking animatedly – yet lowly – near the entrance of the Ministry.

"Oi, everything all right?" Rose's voice was a bit rougher than she'd meant it to be.

Thomasin, caught off guard, turned to her friend, her cheeks flushed, "Oh, hullo, Rose, Fred, we were just, um –"

"She was harassing me, again for another story," Scorpius avoided Rose's stare. "Won't go through the proper channels –"

"If you would just talk to me," Thomasin glared at him.

"Speak with the Head Auror –"

"It's not bloody –" Thomasin was getting in Scorpius's face when Fred stepped in.

"Hey, Thomasin, can I take you for a – what time is it – how about a tea? Maybe an ice cream?" He smiled charmingly at her, "My treat." Thomasin was clearly entranced by his charm but was still irritated with Scorpius so Fred tried again. "I promise you I'm better company than moody Malfoy."

This made Thomasin's mouth twitch and she nodded at Fred, following him as he guided her away from Scorpius and Rose.

Rose waited for them to get out of earshot. "That was heated."

Scorpius gave her a look, "I have things to attend to Weasley, I'm very sorry."

"Wait," she caught his arm as he turned away but dropped it immediately. "I mean, are you all right?" She watched him carefully, "Was that, a," she swallowed and fidgeted slightly, "Um –"

Scorpius raised his eyebrows in surprise briefly before smirking, "If you want to know if I'm sleeping with Thomasin, just ask."

Rose's mouth opened in shock.

"Goodbye, Weasley." Scorpius turned and headed back into the Ministry, leaving Rose irritated and confused.

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"You all right, mate?" Walter looked at Scorpius with a very concerned look, "You seem a bit," he hesitated, "distracted, maybe?"

Scorpius coughed and walked by his partner towards their office, "No, I'm all right, thanks."

Walter didn't look convinced but didn't press any further, "Potter wants to see us, if now's good?"

"Oh," Scorpius ran a hand over his hair and Walter wondered briefly if he was trying to flatten it or if it was merely a nervous tick he never noticed before. "Yea, now's just fine."

"Splendid," Harry nodded at the pair when they reached his office, "come in, please shut the door behind you."

Scorpius and Walter exchanged looks and sat down in chairs when Harry gestured to them, "Everything all right, sir?"

Harry let out a deep sigh, "No, if I'm to be honest with you both. It's just rumors right now, the intel I got –"

"About the magical creatures ring?"

"No, but that will be your cover. What you'll tell everyone you both are working on for now."

Scorpius watched Harry for a moment as Harry hesitated to speak again, "Sir, what's going on?"

"The Minister has been made aware of, for now, what amounts to rumors, about an underground magical organization in Austria, of all places," he took his glasses off to rub his eyes. "But the rumors and this instel is serious and the Minister and I want to find out exactly what's happening before it gets too far along. The sooner we can stop this, the better."

"What are the rumblings, sir?"

"A fanatic, that," he sighed, "we've heard conflicting reports, but a fanatic is riling up followers and he either wants to eliminate all Muggles –"

"Bloody hell –"

"Or create an army of vampires and werewolves of those who won't bend to his will," Harry handed them each a Muggle file. "This is all of the information we have."

"Not a whole lot, sir," Scorpius flipped through the scant few pages. "Have we heard from the Austrian government?"

Harry's brows furrowed, "We aren't sure if they've fallen to this maniac or not. Not yet."

Walter sat up straighter and took a deep breath, "Game plan?"

"You're hikers or travelers, what have you, stopping through the area, collecting as much information as you can without raising suspicious –"

"Orders if we meet this fanatic?" Scorpius's jaw was clenched, his face hard, "Are we to –"

Harry held up a hand to stop Scorpius from speaking. "If it's just the fanatic, arrest them if you can," Harry's bright green eyes spoke volumes. "If it's worse than we feared and he has loyal followers, bring us all the information you can and the Minister, her deputies, and myself will make a decision."

"Yessir," Scorpius nodded, his eyes never leaving Harry's.

"You leave tomorrow at dawn," Harry continued, "you're chasing the black market ring based on information I gave you from Hagrid. Not enough resources for your whole team to go."

Walter swallowed, "Sir, if I may? Why Malfoy and I?"

"I trust you two to make the right decisions," Harry paused, "you are my two best Aurors," he finished.

"Thank you, sir." They stood up to leave, shrinking their files to fit in their pockets.

"Sir, might someone –"

"I suggest you darken your hair some, Malfoy," Harry's lips twitched slightly, "a Muggle dye, probably. I'm sure Lily or Roxy –"

Scorpius frowned slightly, "I'm sure they could."

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Scorpius hoped that he would just have to tell Albus he was leaving – and only because they were roommates – who could then pass the information on to the others. He had already Floo-ed to his parents' condo to let them know, had picked up some Muggle dye, and made it back to his own flat to tell Albus, all before dinner, only to find Lily there, chatting happily with Albus, waiting to grab dinner with "everyone".

"I can't," Scorpius frowned, wracking his brain – had he forgotten plans he'd made with everyone?

"Impromptu," Albus shrugged and Scorpius wondered for the thousandth time if his best mate could read his mind.

"I'm really sorry," Scorpius repeated, "I have to leave before dawn –"

Lily had opened the bag he carried, "Muggle hair dye? Oh," her eyes lit up, "secret mission?"

"If it was, I couldn't tell, could I?" Scorpius snatched the bag back, "give my –"

"Where are you going?" Lily pressed, "If it isn't a secret –"

Scorpius sighed, "It's not. That dragon that was caught –"

"That Rose's mate wrote about –"

"Thomasin, yea," Scorpius continued, "Wally and I are investigating a lead on the ring." He could feel both Potters watching him, but he knew they believed him – he was a great Auror, after all, and their father had taught him…

"How long will you be gone?"

"A few days, most likely, you can't really tell –"

"Why hair dye?"

Scorpius cocked an eyebrow, "My hair is a bit noticeable, innit? Not certain who'll be in the ring, they may have known a Malfoy or two in their time –"

"Well," Lily huffed, "that's no fun, I really wish you could come –"

Albus agreed, "Drink when you get back," he clapped him on the shoulder, "be safe."

"Yes, do be careful, Scorpie," Lily smiled warmly and turned toward the door, "we'll let everyone know."

"Thanks," Scorpius smiled and waited for them to leave before opening the box fo the dye with a sigh and a grimace.

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Rose got to dinner that night late, so wasn't informed of Scorpius's absence. After a few days of not seeing him at various outings with her cousins she got frustrated and finally asked Dominique, "Where the bloody hell is Malfoy?"

Dominique looked slightly surprised, her glass stopped before reaching her lips, "What?"

"Where's Malfoy? He hasn't been –"

"Why?"

"What do you mean why? He's always around with you lot –"

"No," Dominique said firmly, "why are you asking?"

Rose's mouth closed, her eyes staring into Dominique's, knowing full well that lying was useless. "Because I've been trying to apologize to him."

Dominique eyed her friend and cousin closely, "Why?"

"Are you a bloody broken –" Rose started, her jaw clenched but stopped when Dominique just continued to calmly stare at her. "For several things, maybe, I don't. Just generally I guess, I don't know."

"An all-encompassing, over-arching, blanket –"

"Rose," Dominique shook her head ever so slightly, "that's a coward's apology."

"You don't even know –"

"True," Dominique nodded, "but clearly there is a specific thing or two you should apologize for and not a dumb, useless, overarching one."

Rose sighed, "You're right, I know." Dominique expected her to elaborate but didn't press when Rose didn't continue. "Where is he, then?"

"On a mission," Dominique shrugged, "should be back in a few days, maybe a week."

Rose's eyes widened but she kept her mouth shut. Dominique didn't seem worried, so maybe there was nothing to worry about.

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A/N: Please please review!


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